HARM

Hottest Potato in Washington: The Homeowner Bailout Plan

<i>One stipulation of a federal program, for example, is that in exchange for a loan guarantee, the government gets a big chunk of any future appreciation in the house, even if you don't sell for 25 years. But sharing your house with Uncle Sam is a strange proposition, and even distressed borrowers are reluctant to go along with that.</i>

Ahhh... the "choosy beggar" syndrome. Here's a thought: if underwater borrowers don't want to accept some taxpayer profit-sharing as part of a bailout on taxpayers' dime --F*** 'em. That alone should weed out a huge chunk of the greedbag speculator component.